You’re going to see a lot of weird science on “Fringe,” the hotly anticipated new series from J.J. Abrams (“Lost”) that debuts on Fox Tuesday night. Tonight’s pilot, for example, features a mad scientist (John Noble) doing some kind of freaky mind-melding experiment with an FBI agent (Anna Torv).

But the great thing about “Fringe,” says Abrams, is this stuff isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility.

“The show is coming out at a time when every week we read or see some kind of potentially horrifying scientific breakthrough … We are at a time where science is out of control,” Abrams told reporters during a conference call. He pointed out that recently scientists talked of having some success in attempting to develop an invisibility cloak device after creating two types of materials that can bend light the wrong way.

“The stuff you would never in a million years think is actually possible, is happening every day. It is pushing what we all thought was that comfortable quaint version of what sci-fi is, to a very different place, and that is where ‘Fringe’ lives,” Abrams said.

The show kicks off with a spooky 90-minute pilot that has the FBI agent, the scientist and his estraged son (Joshua Jackson) investigating the strange case of a jetliner that lands in Boston with nothing but corpses aboard. The passengers and crew, it seems, have become victims of some kind of flesh-melting plague, which could be the work of terrorists — or not.

“In some scripts, we will be dealing with science very much as it exists,” Abrams said. “The weird thing about ‘Fringe’ is that although you can say it is science fiction, a lot of it is stuff that is at least in the realm of possibility.”

But as much as “Fringe” will push the scientific envelope, Abrams said the show will live or die on the strength of the characters and their relationships.

“I donâ€™t think weâ€™re going to be trying to top ourselves every week (with freaky cases) because then weâ€™ll just be in a race against ourselves and then thereâ€™s no way to win that one,” he said. “… I would rather be delving into who these people are and what makes them tick than doing something just for shock value.”

Also, Abrams promises that “Fringe” will be less serialized than his high-concept dramas, “Lost” and “Alias.” Yes, there will be a mythology to follow, but the aim is to have a procedural element to the series that will allow viewers easy access to the goings-on. He compared the approach to “ER.”

“… You have these ongoing relationships, these ongoing storylines and yet week to week when the door bursts open youâ€™re faced with the insane urgent situation of the week,” he said.

Abrams said “Fringe” was influenced by some of his favorite movies and TV shows, including “Altered States,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Night Stalker” and “X-Files.”